Chapter 30: Accidentally Took Down a Former Nascent Soul Demon Lord

“Roar—”

The severed serpent head on the ground let out a furious, unwilling roar.

Rainbow-hued blood seeped into the earth, leaving behind only a broken, iridescent shard of bone.

Witnessing this scene, Shen Lian remained cautious, not daring to approach. He had already been caught off guard once; who could say if death had truly claimed the creature? With a flick of his sleeve, another Heavenly Thunder Pellet appeared in his hand, which he hurled at the blood-soaked remains.

Boom—

Thunder and fire exploded, sending earth and stone flying. At the very heart of the blast, the fractured bone splintered into countless pieces. Instead of scattering, these fragments converged, forming a bloodshadow that struggled desperately.

Shen Lian saw the bloodshadow's silent roar—no sound escaped, but he could sense its fury. The shadow cursed vilely. The blood-red eyes of the true old demon glared at Shen Lian, resentment turning to venomous hate as black smoke rose from its spectral body.

Years ago, gravely wounded and forced to flee to this desolate wild, unable to find kin to possess, facing extinction, he had been compelled to seize the body of a spotted demon serpent, losing all his human cultivation methods. Today's defeat was inevitable.

After a few moments of voiceless struggle, the bloodshadow faded, dissolving into a wisp of blood-smoke that vanished between heaven and earth.

Shen Lian had heard tales: those who cultivate successfully, upon death, their souls ascend to the Azure Nether.

This serpent… it was dead, utterly.

A stabbing pain in his skull left Shen Lian little time for reflection. Producing a small bottle, he swallowed a Returning Essence Pill to restore his spiritual power.

He swiftly crossed the area, arriving at Yang Li’s decaying corpse. After rummaging through the remains to retrieve a storage pouch, he prepared to leave.

Yet his steps faltered. He returned to the site where the demon serpent had corrupted the ground, scanning the surroundings. With a magic artifact, he picked up a bronze ring, stowed it away, and activated an earth-escape talisman, disappearing from sight.

…

Once Shen Lian was gone, the area remained quiet for about fifteen minutes before several figures rushed in from all directions.

Everyone had already been lurking nearby. The poisonous miasma and thunderous explosions had kept even ninth-layer Qi Refining cultivators trembling with fear, despite the distance.

Now, with the tumult ended, cultivators from every direction dared approach to investigate.

Treasure was secondary; safety was paramount.

"Cough, cough…"
"It's poisonous…"

…

Night descended.

In the corner of an unnamed mountain, Shen Lian, now disguised anew, squeezed into a cramped cave barely large enough for him to sit cross-legged. He slowly exhaled a cloud of black gas.

During the battle, he had inevitably been exposed to the poison, though he had taken a detoxification pill beforehand.

Once he felt sufficiently recovered, Shen Lian crawled from the cave, activated a swift-moving talisman, and hurried toward the market town.

This time, he did not stop along the way, rushing straight home.

He activated the Five Elements Array, enveloping his room in its protective embrace.

With a clang, he settled onto the meditation mat in his cultivation chamber and let out a long breath.

This time, it was truly uncanny.

Twice ambushed, and by a familiar face.

No wonder he’d seen Yang Li both times, loitering outside the houses destroyed by demonic cultivators. This pervert had returned to the scene of the crime.

His earlier visit must have been reconnaissance; who knew why he hadn't made a move then.

Such a cautious person—what made him act so recklessly this time? Perhaps it was the lure of being outside the market, emboldened?

Considering the terror of the demon serpent, Shen Lian understood why Yang Li and the serpent had grown so audacious.

He had unleashed thunder pellets on par with ninth-layer Qi Refining, supplemented by arrays and talismans, dozens of thunder-fire talismans combined. Most ninth-layer cultivators would barely survive a barrage of twenty-seven superior talismans from his array.

And there was also the divine sense attack.

This was called ninth-layer Qi Refining? Which cultivator at this level was so formidable?

Yet he had run into one.

When luck comes, nothing can stop it.

Had he not prepared so thoroughly, with ample backups, he would have been devoured by a mere serpent.

“Still not enough backups,” he thought, shivering at the memory of the serpent’s repeated resurrections. If he hadn’t been cautious and avoided collecting spoils immediately, someone else would surely have fallen for the trap.

“The power of my talisman array is still lacking. I need to double the talisman count to boost its strength again.”

“The divine sense talisman performed better than expected, even blocking most mental attacks.”

…

Carefully reviewing the battle, Shen Lian reconstructed the events in his mind.

“In future, I must remain cautious and not grow arrogant. Yang Li was always so prudent in the market, but thought himself strong enough to hunt outside—boldly picking targets. One must not be like Yang Li.”

Swish.

Having calmed himself, Shen Lian took out a bundle made from his own torn robes and poured its contents before him.

These were the spoils of war.

Eleven storage pouches.

One storage ring.

Aside from the ring, most pouches had been slightly corroded by poisonous blood, but their inner spaces were unharmed.

Seeing so many storage pouches, Shen Lian understood why some people took up such risk-filled, illicit trade.

Money comes quickly!

His gaze swept over the twelve storage items. He grabbed the ring, cleaned the dried filthy blood from its surface, and wore it.

It fit perfectly.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t wear it outside.

Storage rings were generally used by Foundation Establishment cultivators. Qi Refining and rogue cultivators used pouches.

Wearing a ring outside was an open invitation: “I’m wealthy. Come rob me.”

Most storage rings had divine sense seals.

Shen Lian checked—indeed, this one too.

But that wouldn’t stop him.

He was a first-class talisman master, and among his inherited superior talismans was the Seal-Breaking Talisman, meant specifically for Qi Refining cultivators to break Foundation Establishment seals on storage items.

Whoever invented this talisman—what were they thinking?

Shen Lian’s interest was wholly focused on the storage ring. He went to the talisman workshop, prepared spiritual ink, and began drawing Seal-Breaking Talismans.

He was eager to see if he could break the ring’s seal, though he wasn’t entirely confident.

…

Buzz—

Three consecutive Seal-Breaking Talismans struck the storage ring. A faint humming sound arose, and Shen Lian picked up the ring.

Its internal space was thirty feet across; ordinary storage pouches barely reached ten.

Inside, there wasn’t much.

Scrolls and jade slips—over a dozen. A broken banner, and a jade box gleaming with a sealed light.

“Pfft…”

When Shen Lian inadvertently touched the broken banner, his skull exploded with pain, forcing a scream from his lips as his body was thrown backward.

For a moment, it felt as though countless ferocious soul shadows were staring at him.

Fortunately, the protective array kept him from smashing through the wall.

“A demonic artifact… It’s a true treasure.”

Slowly rising and rubbing his waist, Shen Lian wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.

Only Golden Core cultivators used true treasures; Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment used mere artifacts.

After a moment’s thought, Shen Lian understood.

No wonder the serpent radiated demonic energy.

It had been possessed.

Possessing another body to restart cultivation was common in the world of immortals; under certain circumstances, only Golden Core cultivators could do so, and they had only one chance.

“Could I have slain a possessed Golden Core demon?”

The thought struck Shen Lian.

It all made sense—the ninth-layer Qi Refining so resistant to explosions, with mental attack techniques.

Ordinary Qi Refining cultivators, even with developed divine sense, could barely scan their surroundings.

Not counting other toxic and trapping talismans, he had already unleashed over seventy thunder-fire talismans.

Recalling the dying words, “petty Qi Refining,” Shen Lian felt much relieved.

It wasn’t that he was weak; his opponent had once been a top-tier player.

A dignified Golden Core demon, not slain by righteous Daoists, but by a mid-stage Qi Refining nobody like himself.

Anyone would be bewildered.

If it had been him, he would have screamed louder than the demon, more wretched than Yuan Hua’s snowy night.

Yang Li must have been the demon’s pawn.

No wonder he reached seventh-layer Qi Refining in just two years—likely practicing demonic arts.

Shen Lian’s eyes burned as he looked at the scrolls and jade slips.

He prayed for the blessing of the Demon-Subduing Celestial Lord.

Let there be a cultivation technique within!